Prisoner of Azkaban Rewrite
by Hillary Izzy Blair
Summary: What if Harry had a little sister? How Prisoner of Azkaban would have changed...
1. Lucy Petunia Potter

**A/N I don't own Harry Potter or anything else related to the books written by J.K. Rowling**

Aunt Marge was coming over. Aunt Marge was coming over and Harry had to be nice to her. He remembered Uncle Vernon's words clearly; keep a civil tongue, no 'funny business', and he was now enrolled at St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. Harry knew that if he disobeyed any one of these rules, Uncle Vernon would not sign his Hogesmeade permission form and beat the stuffing out of him. So that was why Harry sat in his room, waiting for the car to pull up into the driveway and his week to become hell.

"Harry!" He heard Aunt Petunia's shrill voice call from downstairs. No doubt she could see the car coming down the street but only by craning her long neck a certain way. Harry hurried down the stairs and found his cousin Dudley still watching TV but now wearing the new bow tie his mother had bought him.

"Fix your hair. Open the door for them." Aunt Petunia demanded. Not seeing a point to brushing his hair, it would stick up anyway, he opened the front door only to be nearly knocked to the floor as the very enormous Aunt Marge burst into the house, her brother following behind her carrying the luggage. He shoved the suitcases into Harry's arms and ordered him to take them upstairs.

"What will you have to drink Marge?" He added as he took off his coat. Harry sighed deeply and struggled to lift the bags up to the first landing. _Scratch, scratch._ Someone, or something was scratching at the door and Harry was hesitant to open it. Before he could act though, Uncle Vernon had reappeared and opened it himself. In came Ripper, Marge's favourite bulldog, and sadly to say, Harry's least favourite of Marge's large brood.

"Forgot the brute," He mumbled to himself. "What are you waiting for, get going!" He then yelled at Harry. Harry only nodded and again began to fight with the heavy suitcases. He rested for a moment at the top of the stairs before forcing himself back down. As he passed the front door, he heard a soft knocking. Again he hesitated to open it.

"Get the door boy!" He heard Uncle Vernon shout from the living room. So he did with clenched teeth. Outside stood a young girl, maybe 10 or 11 with long red hair and green eyes. She was wearing a purple zip up sweater, old jeans and in her hair she wore a worn yellow bandana. Slung across her shoulder was a bag unlike Harry had ever seen before, it was brown with tiny colorful stitching, beads hung from frayed ends, and it jingled every time she moved.

"Hello, I'm looking for my brother." She said her voice shy and timid.

"Sorry he's not here." Harry responded.

"I know he lives here: 4 Privet Dr. Is he in?" She asked again.

"No, no one here has a sister except for my uncle and his sister is already here. Bye." Harry tried to close the door but the girl stubbornly put her foot out.

"I'm looking for my brother and if you can't tell me where he is, I can and will do you harm!" The girl said through clenched teeth and although Harry didn't believe she could do him any real harm, he left the door open. "He has black hair and green eyes, like mine. He's 13 years old or will be, I'm not quite sure actually… but I know he lives here and his name is… his name is… Harry Potter." She said that last part really quietly then looked down at her feet, suddenly embarrassed.

"Listen, I don't know who you are but you're not Harry Potter's sister. Ok, you're not my sister!" Harry looked at her incredulously. Other witches and wizards had said some pretty strange things to him, about his life or theirs, but this beat them all.

After he made this statement, she looked up suddenly all smiles.

"Oh Harry!" She leapt at him trying to give him a hug but he pulled away.

"Who are you?" Suddenly Harry didn't like where this was going. The girl again looked embarrassed and a little scared.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Petunia Potter and I _am_ your sister Harry." She stared at him until he looked away, feeling awkward.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" He asked, then not willing to fall for it, added. "Obviously you're very confused and lost so can you just please go away?"

"I have proof." She paused. "But you're going to have to invite me in." Harry had to admit she was brave.

"Now's not a good time, could you come back tomorrow or something?" He looked over his shoulder at the lump on the couch that was Aunt Marge.

"Promise you'll be here?" She said. Harry nodded. "You have to say you'll promise!" She demanded. Harry rolled his eyes but promised anyway.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow Harry." With that Lucy walked down the street then sat down on the curb at the corner. Harry shut the door and joined the group in the living room. A sister? Did he really have a sister? Time would only tell…


	2. The Scrapbook

Harry sat at a table in the Leaky Cauldron the next day. After blowing Aunt Marge up like a balloon at dessert, he'd gotten aboard the Knight Bus and headed for the pub.

Fortunately or unfortunately – he wasn't sure which yet – Lucy had been aboard and on her way to the same place. She had refrained from lecturing him in front of Stan and Ernie but had instead joined the conversation about Sirius Black; a murderer who had recently escaped Azkaban. Lucy had no doubt been raised in a wizarding community.

Upon arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Fudge (Minister of Magic) spoke to Harry about using magic while underage and warned him against crossing paths with anyone suspicious.

And so here he was, sitting with a fuming 11 year old, eating her breakfast, and wondering what would come next.

"You promised me you'd still be there," she mumbled. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Does it matter? You're with me now," he replied.

"Yes it matters! You broke a promise. I've had enough broken promises from other people. I'd appreciate it if my brother could at least keep one simple one." she ranted.

"Just show me your proof and get this over with," Harry changed the subject.

"Right," Lucy reached into her brown bag and pulled out a battered, maroon-coloured photo album. "My adoptive mom gave it to me when she told me about you. I hope this is enough for you to believe." Lucy's angry scowl turned into an innocent puppy dog face but the emotion behind her eyes was real; sadness, hardship, and hope.

Harry took the album, not sure what to expect and opened the cover to reveal the first page.

This Album Belongs To: Lily Potter

The pages were weathered and torn and had clearly been leafed through many times by the girl sitting next to him.

The first page depicted a large group of witches and wizards eating a Christmas dinner together. Harry picked out his mom and dad almost immediately. James looked almost identical to Harry with his black and untidy hair, glasses, and scrawny frame. Lily had the same green eyes as Harry and, as Harry noticed just then, as Lucy. And the same dark red hair that Lucy had put into a long braid.

"There's, um, mom and dad." Lucy said, pointing. "Beside mom is Marlene McKinnon and beside dad is Caradoc Dearborn." Marlene was older than Lily and her hair had begun to grey at the temples. Caradoc looked fairly young, perhaps two or three years younger than Harry's parents. He stared lovingly at the simplistic gathering. Holly and mistletoe hung from the ceilings and a wreath hung on the wall behind Lily. The table was adorned with turkey, potatoes, turnips, rolls, cranberry sauce, and other delicious holiday foods.

"_How was your Christmas Marlene?" Lily asked thoughtfully. _

"_Dismal; we had the kids over but kept it small. With Voldemort after_ _members it's hard to celebrate. But this is just lovely Lily. Thanks for having us; it's been a wonderful evening." Marlene smiled sweetly and Lily waved a hand dismissively._

"_It was really nothing. What else would James and I be doing? We'd be alone probably." She lifted a forkful of green beans to her mouth. "I'm sorry you couldn't celebrate bigger. It truly is a time to be thankful. Another year is soon to come," she added._

"_Don't apologize dear, it's not your fault he turned to the Dark side. Just enjoy yourself while you can." Marlene smiled half heartedly and continued to eat. _

_Meanwhile, James and Caradoc were talking about James' favourite subject; Quidditch._

"_Did you hear the result of last night's game? Appleby Arrows vs. Tutshill Tornadoes; what a match!" Caradoc exclaimed, shaking his head. _

"_I heard about it on the wireless. Did you go?" James replied with a question._

"_Yes, and I was embarrassed. You know I cheer for Tutshill Tornadoes usually, but I was almost ashamed to be wearing those dark blue T's that night. What a bunch of buffoons." Caradoc whistled lowly._

"_Yeah, what was the score at the end of the match? 300-70? And the number of fouls too; I'd have been ashamed as well." James commented. _

"_Why don't you play anymore James? I've heard from quite a number of people that you were a very talented Chaser." Caradoc asked, cutting his turkey._

"_Wanted to settle down with the love of my life, live a quiet life, not have to worry about going out in public. I do miss it sometimes, but there's always another day right?" They both smiled, not knowing the truth of what would come. _

Harry watched as the people at the table sat and talked, ate their dinner, and laughed at each other's stories. How innocent they made it all look. And although he knew it wouldn't be forever, the picture made him yearn for something that he wasn't sure would ever exist again; peace.

Lucy pointed out the next picture to him before he could contemplate on this idea anymore.

"This one was taken a few years after that." She said, and looked at a picture of two young boys sitting on the carpet playing with toys. One of them, a round-faced boy with mouse brown hair and brown eyes, was sitting quietly, attempting to put different shaped blocks into the corresponding holes. The other boy was unmistakably Harry; dark hair, already a mess, and green luminescent eyes. He was looking at a picture book of broomsticks and Quidditch equipment.

"_They play so nicely together. I'm sure they'll be just like James and his friends when they go off to Hogwarts." Lily exclaimed, cooing over the two boys. _

"_Better hope they don't get into too much trouble Lil, they'd be quite a handful if they were exactly like James and the group." The other woman, a petite woman who resembled the boy with her round face and mousy features, said. _

"_Oh, Alice relax! They'll learn their lesson after the first detention with Filch." Lily poured Alice a drink and then sat down on the couch to drink hers._

_The two boys continued to play while their mothers talked. It was unbelievable how much they could chat; about their sons, husbands, the daily news, and life in general. Soon, James and Alice's husband came into the room._

"_How was the flying Frank?" Alice asked. She stood up to stand beside him._

"_It was alright, had some wind and a bit of rain at one point but it died down." Frank replied. _

"_We saw Benjy Fenwick out there, asked him to join us. He's got really good balance on his old Shooting Star." James added. Then he spotted the two boys playing. He scooped Harry up and tickled him while Harry laughed uncontrollably. _

"_How's my future top Quidditch player in the world? Huh?" _

"_James, put him down, he was playing so nicely with Neville." Lily playfully slapped her husband's arm. James put Harry back down and he began playing again as if nothing had interrupted him. _

"_Sorry we've got to go, thank you so much for having us over." Alice picked up Neville and hugged Lily and James. "Stay safe, bye Harry!" She smiled and waved to the now lonely boy. Frank shook hands with James and lightly hugged Lily and the family left._

"_C'mon Harry, let's go have a bath," Lily bent over to get him when he started fussing. _

"_See, he already knows that getting clean is a bad thing," James chuckled and Lily rolled her eyes. _

This is what life had been like. Harry recognized Neville Longbottom who was in his year at Hogwarts. They had been friends when they were young and while they were both pleasant to each other now, there was no blooming friendship. It was strange how things changed.

"There's one more picture I want you to see Harry," Lucy turned to the back of the book and revealed a picture that Harry knew was the climax of the conversation.

It was a hospital and Lily was still in her hospital gown sitting on the bed. James stood beside her. Harry sat on Lily's lap, a puzzle in front of him and James held a bundle of pink blankets; Lucy.

"_She's beautiful," James looked down at the tiny face, surrounded by blanket. She had Lily's eyes and hair but James saw his stubborn glint in her eyes. She would be smart, just like her mom. _

"_Harry, do you want to hold your sister?" Lily asked him softly. Harry nodded vigorously and held his arms out at a 90 degree angle. James carefully laid Lucy in his outstretched arms and Lily helped him hold her up. _

"_That's your little sister Harry, say hi." James bent over watch as his son and daughter saw each other for the first time._

"_Hi Luceee," Harry said smiling. James smiled too and looked at his wife. She was crying. He wiped away the tears and kissed the top of her head. _

"_I love you Lil," he whispered. Lily's eyes were still wet but she controlled herself._

"_I love you too James. And you Harry, and you Lucy. I'd give up everything for you." She said. At such a young age, Harry didn't understand what she meant or even what was happening. He only knew he was happy at the time. _

11 years later he couldn't remember this ever happening. And yet his sister was sitting beside him and his parents weren't.

"Do you believe me now?" Lucy asked softly. Harry just stared at the picture longingly, wanting to go back to the time when they were all together.

"If you want to know more, since I hardly know any of it myself, write to my adoptive parents; Bob and Carol Harrington. Here's their address," she handed him a piece of parchment with a street name and number written on it. "You can hold onto that for awhile," she added, indicating the scrapbook.

"Okay, thanks." Harry said quietly. Lucy got up and left for her room while Harry sat thinking. He too got up after a few minutes and went upstairs to his room where he got out fresh parchment, ink, and a quill. He wasn't sure how to start this letter but needed to know more. As much as he could. When he was done, he tied it to Hedwig's leg and sent her out the window and into the streets of Diagon Alley. He hoped the response would come sooner rather than later. In the meantime he would treat Lucy like a friend.

***

In only two days, the reply from the Harrington's came back with Hedwig and Harry opened it in anticipation. He hoped it contained the whole story.

_Dear Harry Potter, _

_My name is Carol Harrington and I received your letter. I understand you must be curious but I can only tell you what I know. On May 12__th__ 1982, my husband, Bob, and I decided to adopt from St. Mungos. We'd registered but no child became available for us. On November 16th 1983, we received a letter from Dumbledore saying he had chosen a child for us to take. We were curious as to why Albus Dumbledore had chosen somebody for us instead of the staff at St Mungos. He arranged to meet with us at our house and he would bring the child. When he arrived, he told us everything. That this little girl, no more than 10 months old, was the daughter of Lily and James Potter. He told us that her brother, Harry, had been sent to live with other family but Lucy had still been in the hospital at the time. It was our responsibility to tell her about you and we decided to wait until she got her Hogwarts letter. We apologize for not telling her or you sooner but we wanted Lucy's life to be perfect. She is your sister. Please help her to understand, as she struggled with it for months before going to find you. Thank you for contacting us, it means a lot that our Lucy has a real family. _

_Yours truly,_

_Carol Harrington _

And that was that. Harry had a sister and Dumbledore knew. Why Dumbledore hadn't told Harry, he didn't know. Now Harry had to be a big brother. How did anyone do that? Suddenly become a brother to an 11 year old girl? He could always ask Ron for advice, or any of the Weasley boys. How would he break it to Ron and Hermione? Hermione probably already knew.

Before he could ponder it any longer, Harry went off in search to find his little sister; Lucy.


	3. Getting to Know Lucy

On the Hogwarts express, Harry sat in a compartment with Ron and Hermione and a sleeping teacher. Professor R.J. Lupin wore frayed robes but had his face hidden behind his cloak so they couldn't see his face.

Harry told his friends all about Aunt Marge and Lucy. They were both speechless at the fact he had a sister. He'd barely seen Lucy in the two days leading up to their departure and hadn't found an appropriate time to tell Ron and Hermione about her.

"How long have you known?" Hermione asked.

"Only two weeks," Harry replied. While Hermione showed her curiosity in the matter, Ron wasn't scared of showing his skepticism.

"It's true, she had proof. You'll see at the sorting." Harry was a little disappointed in Ron but remembered his own initial reaction and let it go.

Halfway through the train ride, something strange happened. The train stopped and the lights went off. Harry felt an odd, cold feeling in his gut.

"Hello?" Someone had opened their compartment door. It was Ginny Weasley.

"Come in – ouch!" Ginny had accidentally stepped on Hermione's foot.

"Sorry," she sat down beside Ron, who was staring out the window curiously.

They were soon joined by Neville Longbottom who stepped on nearly everyone's toes. Followed almost immediately behind him, was Lucy. Harry wished Ron could see her and finally believe him but it was pitch black on the train.

"Harry?" she whispered quietly, her voice shaking.

"Yeah, come in," he helped Lucy over to his side.

"What's happening?" she asked nervously.

"Donno," Harry replied.

Suddenly, a long shadow crept up to the compartment door. A being wearing a black cloak drifted in. It stretched out a grey, scabbed hand. Harry felt cold and heard a scream in the distance. He felt weak and sick. He closed his eyes, letting the miserable chill to overcome him.

When he opened them again, he was on the floor of the train, cold sweat trickling down his face.

"Are you alright?" Hermione held out a hand and Harry took it. The lights had come back on and the train was moving again.

"What happened? What was that?" Harry asked.

"It was a Dementor. Nasty creatures that suck the happiness out of people. They guard the Azkaban prison. They were searching for Sirius Black." Professor Lupin had awoken.

"Who was screaming? There was a woman," Hermione and Ron shook their heads.

"No one was screaming," Hermione said.

"Here have some chocolate," Lupin passed big pieces around to everyone. "I'll be right back," He left. Harry looked around. Ginny was still shaking, Ron and Hermione looked more worried about Harry than scared, Neville was breathing deeply as if he'd just run 10 laps around a track, and then there was Lucy. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and was sobbing uncontrollably. Harry put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him; eyes red.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded unconvincingly. Then she burst into fresh tears.

"She had trouble breathing when the Dementor was here. And then when you passed out, she couldn't stop crying." Ron explained.

Harry ate his chocolate; it made him feel a lot better. Neville and Ginny had left to go sit with other people and Lupin soon returned.

"How is she?" he asked, nodding towards Lucy. She wasn't crying anymore but was hiccupping. Her long red hair covered her face.

"A little better." Harry replied. Lupin put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up.

"Have some chocolate," he offered. She took it and nibbled some. Lupin sat across from her and Harry moved over closer. She rested her head on his shoulder while silent tears continued to roll down her face.

"Don't scare me like that again, Harry." She choked out. Harry nodded.

"I won't," he squeezed her tightly.

"Promise?" she looked up at him.

"I promise," he replied, vowing to himself to try to keep the promise this time.

***

Harry was sorely disappointed. He had missed the Sorting two years in a row. And although the one in his second year hadn't meant much to him, Lucy was being sorted this year and while he said he believed her, hearing her last name would confirm everything. But Professor McGonagall had dragged him and Hermione away before and when they came back; Professor Flitwick was carrying the Sorting Hat away.

They two of them hurried over to where Ron sat, quiet white. Harry frowned at him, wondering what his problem was. It couldn't have been from the Dementor as Ron had calmed down and was now safely inside the castle.

"Harry, she is, she is your sister." He stammered. Harry nodded.

"I know, that's what I've been trying to tell you," he said.

"Well, I saw her on the train and thought she looked like what your mom looked like in that one picture you've got. And then she went berserk because she thought something was seriously wrong with you when you fainted on the train. But just now, at the sorting. I can't believe it Harry! Her name is Lucy_ Potter_." He babbled.

"Of course her name is Lucy Potter. What else would it be?" Harry smiled at Ron's amazement. Before Ron could ramble on again about how incredible it was, Lucy bounded over to them.

"Guess what Harry? I'm in Gryffindor! Just like you, and mom and dad." She beamed at him, a different girl than the one on the train only two hours ago. She'd fallen asleep on Harry before they'd arrived at the school.

"That's great, why don't you sit with us?" he offered.

"Oh, well I was invited by another girl, Natalie McDonald, to eat with. Tomorrow at breakfast though I'll sit with you." Lucy hugged him and then went to sit with another girl who was already chatting to several other people…

"Hey Lucy, so are you excited to be in the same house as your brother? My sister's in this house as well, Mary. I guess I'm kind of excited to be in the same house as her but we live in the same house all year round so maybe I'll get tired of it. Do you think you'll get tired of your brother? I think a brother would be worse because it's a boy you know? Sister's are much better!" Natalie rambled on, hardly letting anyone get a word in edgewise.

Lucy simply nodded a reply to everything she had blurted out. The other people sitting around them were Jimmy Peakes, Romilda Vane, Oliver Wood, and Alicia Spinnet. Lucy knew Oliver and Alicia were on the Quidditch team because that's all they wanted to talk about. Romilda had dark hair and eyes and was very sweet. She was really interested in learning about Lucy's life story but rather disappointed when Lucy told her she knew almost nothing. Jimmy, on the other hand, was a short blonde boy who was broad-chested and who joined in ferociously in the conversation about Quidditch.

"You don't say much do you?" Natalie asked Lucy, putting food into her mouth before starting to speak again. "I kind of like it. I get to say what I want and not have to wait for someone to finish speaking. I won't have to interrupt you and I hate interrupting people." Lucy doubted whether Natalie actually hated interrupting as long as she got to speak.

Before long, it was time for bed and Lucy and Natalie followed Percy up to the Common Room. Lucy climbed into the four poster bed and snuggled into the warm sheets. She was happy at Hogwarts and she hoped she would be as content as she was at that moment forever…

***

The next day was the first day of classes for Lucy. She ate breakfast with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What classes do you have today Lucy?" Hermione asked politely. Lucy waited for her to continue, already used to Natalie's way of conversation.

"Transfiguration, double Potions, and Herbology," Lucy read off her timetable. "And you?" she asked.

"Arithmancy, Charms, Muggle Studies, Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes." She rattled off. The group looked at her, incredulous. "What?" she asked.

"Don't you think you're taking on a little too much, even for you?" Ron asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Besides, it's my choice, isn't it?"

"How are you going to do two classes at once? It's not possible." He continued.

"Well I'll figure out a way, now excuse me," she stood up and left, towing her heavy bag with her. Ron and Harry exchanged a look and they both shrugged. The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes but then Lucy got up to leave.

"I don't want to be late for my first class," she reasoned. She started to walk towards the Entrance Hall but turned back and walked over to Harry. "I don't think I can do this," she said, her face etched with worry. She sat down again.

"Yes, you can. It won't be that bad and you've got that friend already." Harry encouraged. But Lucy didn't believe it.

"Harry I really don't think I can do this." She said. "Can't I just come to class with you?" she asked. Harry looked at Ron. Lucy really was scared of going to class. He thought she'd be excited, but maybe she was like him; putting on a brave face for everyone around but on the inside, scared to pieces.

"C'mon then, let's go to class," Harry stood and Ron followed his lead. They both walked in the direction of Lucy's Transfiguration class. For all she knew, they could have been heading to the boys' History of Magic lesson.

They arrived at Professor McGonagall's room and Harry pushed Lucy forwards. She stared at him, incredulous. "You really expect me to go in there by myself?" she asked, her voice a tiny squeak. Harry nodded.

"Go on, it's really easy, you just walk in and choose a table and then you learn. Go learn Lucy!" he motioned her to do as he told.

"No thanks, I'd rather not learn," she defied him. "I'd rather go to class with you," her voice was filled with defiance. Harry rolled his eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"No, you have to go to your class, get going or we'll be late," he pushed her towards the classroom. But she was stronger than he'd anticipated and wouldn't enter.

"I don't want to, now let me come to your class," she argued, all ideas of being scared had vanished and the boys were left with a rebellious 11 year old who wanted to get her way. Before Harry or Ron could think of another strategy to get rid of her, Professor McGonagall walked over to her classroom.

"Good morning Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. Shouldn't you two be off to your own classes, they'll be starting soon." She told them briskly. "Come along Ms. Potter, take a seat and get out your books." Lucy was all of a sudden taken by the wrist and practically dragged into the room. She glared at Harry.

"I'll get you for this!" she murmured. She _really_ didn't want to leave him.

***

After their morning classes, Ron, Harry, and Lucy met in the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione had headed straight for the library.

"Did you make any new friends Luce?" Ron asked, already getting used to Harry's little sister. Lucy shook her head.

"Just Natalie?" Harry asked.

"Natalie sat with some other people," Lucy poked at her food; seemingly disappointed that she was alone in class. Harry nudged her.

"Don't be upset, who don't you make more friends? Natalie doesn't have to be the only one." He suggested.

"Why would I need more friends? I've got you," Lucy reasoned. "Oh, and Ron and Hermione," she added, smiling at Ron.

"Oh," Harry looked around awkwardly. It was one thing to be a brother but another to be your sister's only friend.

"Well I'd better go and get a start on my homework," Lucy excused herself and left. The real reason she'd left was to get away from the awkward direction the conversation was heading. She felt bad about leaving them but how could she tell them that she didn't know how to make friends? All her childhood, the only friends she ever had were her adoptive sisters; Marissa and Kate. People just didn't like Lucy and didn't find her particularly friendly.

_Well they clearly don't know how not to judge a book by its cover._ She grumpily thought to herself. But she did have Harry. He would make everything better. And Ron and Hermione were very nice. Harry could make friends for her. He'd succeeded many times, and she'd failed just as many.

She stood behind what she'd said before: Why did she need more friends when she had Harry? It only made sense.

***

Lucy was beginning to cry. The homework that Snape had set them was much too difficult to do. She had been working on it for nearly an hour and hadn't even finished half. If she didn't finish it soon then she wouldn't have enough time for McGonagall's homework and she was already tired enough. The pressure was enough to make anyone crack!

"Hey Lucy!" Harry sat down on an armchair beside her. "Watcha doing up so late…" he trailed off as she wiped away some tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, cupping her chin in his hands.

"N-nothing," she replied, picking her quill up and blotting it with ink.

"C'mon, something is obviously wrong. You can tell me," he looked her in the eyes. She stared back and finally gave in.

"It's my homework, I don't understand it and there's so much," she explained.

"Do you want me to help?" Harry asked. She gave him a bemused look. "Okay, so I'm no Hermione, but I'm pretty good at doing homework. Besides I'm 2 years older than you," Lucy thrust the paper into his hands. He read it over twice.

"How about adding examples of potion and elaborate on the ingredients and their use," he suggested. And together they finished Lucy's homework and essay. They actually had fun together.


	4. Sirius Black

Over the course of the next few weeks, Lucy spent most of her time with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry had gotten into the habit of helping Lucy with her homework nearly every night. Ron tried to help but Lucy soon found out that he wasn't as good as Harry or Hermione. Life seemed to be alright for the brother and sister, aside from the overhanging threat of Sirius Black. Harry figured that Sirius was after him, but he didn't let on to Lucy.

Another thing that loomed over Harry's shoulder was the Hogesmeade trips. It seemed like all hope was lost on his going; Professor McGonagall had denied the power of being able to sign his form which had then trumped the other ideas. His friends all promised to bring him things back like chocolate from Honeydukes or merchandise from Zonko's. But it wouldn't have been the same. At least he had Lucy, he thought. But that didn't last long. After the first Hogesmeade visit, she shut herself in the library, ignoring anyone who talked to her. She was turning into a regular Hermione and Harry only needed one of those in his life.

But then Harry had a stroke of genius, and he wondered how he didn't think of it before. At the next visit, he found his invisibility cloak and set out, following Ron and Hermione down the path towards the village.

He'd barely walked 10 feet when two people grabbed him by his arms and dragged him back. It was Fred and George Weasley.

"Hey, guys, let me go!" Harry struggled but the twins held him tight.

"Stop struggling, just come quietly." Fred whispered inconspicuously. Harry continued to struggle, going against Fred's words. They dragged him into an empty corridor. Harry whipped the cloak off himself. He looked at the twins and saw them staring at him as if they'd planned to meet here and not had to ambush him in the grounds.

"What are you doing? I'm trying to – I was planning on going to…" but Harry was unsure if he should tell them where he was going. Before he could think of an excuse, George spoke.

"You're trying to get to Hogesmeade, we know!" He reached into his coat pocket and handed Harry a piece of old parchment. Harry reluctantly took it, hoping it wasn't one of their tricks. After seeing his confused expression, Fred explained.

"It's a map. You just tap it with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and it'll show you the entire castle, everyone who's in it and where they are." He said, tapping the parchment and saying the words. The spider veins of ink began spreading across the parchment, creating words, people, and classrooms. On the front read 'Marauders Map.' Harry was amazed.

"Where did you get?" he asked, incredulous.

"Filch's office, our first year. Pretty wicked, huh?" George said. Harry unfolded other sections and watched as Hannah Abbott made her way down the fourth floor stairs.

"If you wanna get to Hogesmeade, there are 7 secret entrances out of the school. Filch knows about these two, this one caved in a year ago, we're not sure where this one goes since it's right over top of the Whomping Willow," Fred pointed out several places. "So we suggest this one," he pointed to a picture of a one eyed witch statue.

"It'll lead you straight to Honeyduke's cellar. Just climb right out and enjoy yourself!" George encouraged. Harry smiled at the twins.

"Thanks guys!" he said, grateful for the first breath of freedom he'd experienced since arriving at Hogwarts.

"When you're done, just tap it with your wand again and say 'Mischief Managed' or anybody can read it and turn you in." Fred warned. Harry nodded, understanding the consequences of losing the map. He gathered up his invisibility cloak, tapped the parchment, and went on his way.

He had almost reached the landing that the witch statue was on, when he realized he was forgetting something. He hurried back down two flights of stairs and burst into the library. Madame Pince shushed him angrily before going back to stacking books.

Out of breath, Harry scanned the library for a red head. It took him several walks around the room to finally find her hidden behind stacks of books.

"Why are you reading all of these?" Harry asked Lucy. She jumped when he spoke. Harry picked up a book and inspected it. 'Runes for Beginners' "You don't even have Runes yet." He said.

"Give me that!" Lucy grabbed the book out of Harry's hands and replaced it on the table. "It's just preparing myself for the future. Besides, I've got nothing else better to do." She picked her quill up and began jotting down notes about Herbology.

"That's where you're wrong. You've got something MUCH better to do," Harry contradicted. Lucy gave him a quizzical look. "C'mon, I'll show you," he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the exit. She hesitated in following along but the excited expression on Harry's face made her give in. They raced back to the one-eyed witch statue and Harry stopped to explain.

"So, do you want to go to Hogesmeade with me?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I'm not allowed to go." Lucy said. "And neither are you!" she added.

"But we're going to go anyway. This is a map of the entire school, Fred and George Weasley gave it to me." Harry held up the map for Lucy to see. "We're going to use my dad – our dad's invisibility cloak to get there without being seen. Okay? Just keep close to me." he instructed. Lucy nodded apprehensively. Harry wrapped the cloak around them and entered the statue through a hump on the witch's back. They were in a dark tunnel that was small and cramped. Harry held Lucy's hand and led the way down the winding passageway.

"I want to go back," Lucy said, her legs getting tired and the blackness of the hole scaring her.

"Just keep holding my hand and you'll be fine. We're almost there, the tunnel is getting steeper." They continued on until Harry hit his head on something solid. He pushed up on it and revealed a trapdoor. They were in the Honeyduke's cellar just like the twins had said. Quietly, they eased themselves out of the tunnel and went up the stairs to the main store.

The store was packed with Hogwarts students buying chocolate frogs, pepper imps, and other assorted sweets. Harry looked hurriedly for Ron and Hermione. He gripped Lucy's hand tighter so he wouldn't lose her in the packed area. Just as Harry was about to give up looking and head to another shop, he spotted his friends by the door.

"Do you think Harry would like these?" Ron asked, holding up a box of cockroach clusters.

"Definitely not," Harry said behind them. Ron and Hermione whipped around just as Harry slid the cloak off. Hermione gaped at him and Lucy in horror. Ron, on the other hand, was smiling.

"How'd you get here?" he asked in bewilderment and excitement.

"I'll explain later," Harry said. "Let's go somewhere less crowded." The four Gryffindors left the candy store and headed out into the street. A carriage made its way past them, up to a pub called "The Three Broomsticks." Hermione motioned for the rest of them to follow the carriage and enter the pub themselves. Before they could make their way over, the occupants of the carriage got out. Harry immediately recognized the large shape of Hagrid, followed by the short stature of Professor Flitwick and two figures that Harry didn't know right away.

"Put the cloak back on," Hermione whispered. "Quick!" she helped Harry and Lucy hide and Harry saw that it was for good reason. The two occupants had turned around to face the street. It was Professor McGonagall and Cornelius Fudge. Harry realized that they were only just in time under the cloak. If McGonagall or Fudge had seen him, he would probably be expelled.

They were speaking to the barwoman, Madame Rosemerta, with very serious expressions. The wind carried over only parts of their conversation. But the words that Harry couldn't escape were 'Sirius is looking for Harry Potter.'

Harry had to find out more, he pulled the cloak off Lucy and followed the teachers and Minister for Magic into the pub. Lucy was left standing in the open for other students and other teachers to see. As Harry entered the pub, Hermione and Ron stood near the wall of the Three Broomsticks. Lucy stood between them and the wall, hidden by their travelling cloaks. She wished she had brought a cloak, or at least a warmer sweater.

They waited for about 15 minutes before the door flung open for no apparent reason. They saw footprints in the snow heading in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.

"Follow him," Hermione grabbed Ron and Lucy by the arms and dragged them after Harry who was practically running. They reached the outskirts of the shack and found the footprints leading to a rock. Hermione and Ron stood cautiously 10 feet away but Lucy approached him. She reached out into oblivion, searching for the silky feel of the cloak. She slowly pulled it off Harry and saw him crying.

"Harry?" she asked softly. "Are you okay? What happened?" she said in a near whisper, not knowing if Harry wanted Ron and Hermione to hear. They were only his friends and she was at least his family. But Harry obviously felt different about his mates hearing his life problems.

"He betrayed them!" he said angrily. "HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!" he yelled into the echoing distance. "He's after me. He's trying to kill me. But I don't care if he finds me. When he finds me, I'm going to kill him!" he continued to rage.

"Who?" Lucy asked timidly. Harry collected himself long enough to mutter the words: "Sirius Black" to Lucy before breaking down again. For the few months that they had known each other, Harry had been Lucy's rock, her shoulder to cry on, and her support system. And now, she realized, the tables had turned. She needed to be there for Harry.

She put her arms out and hugged him. She was surprised when he hugged her back.

"He helped kill our parents Luce, he helped Voldemort. And know he's coming for me." Harry whispered. Lucy hugged him tighter, recognizing the all too familiar feeling of hopelessness.

Months passed and things had settled down. The castle was protected and Harry limited his visits to Hogesmeade. Lucy quit going altogether. Ron continued to follow the Sirius Black story fervently and Hermione spent entire afternoons and evenings working on her homework. She had double the homework than the other three but she was usually the only one who managed to get it all done. And it was an evening just like any other before things started really happening for them.

They hadn't seen Hermione since dinner, and even then it was for only a few minutes as she grabbed some food and rushed off to the library. Ron had had the Daily Prophet spread out on a table in the Gryffindor Common Room. He and Harry had been poring over it, searching for any articles discussing the mass murderer. Lucy had spent her evening curled up in an armchair, half reading her book and half listening to her brother and his friend talk. Everything was seemingly ordinary on this rainy April day at dusk.

"G'night Luce!" Harry hugged his sister before she climbed the stairs to her dormitory. He and Ron continued to sit by the fire for a few minutes to talk Quidditch, something they couldn't do in front of Lucy without getting disapproving glares. But it was soon bed for them as well. Harry got into his four poster bed, expecting the same rainy day for tomorrow. It was Friday at last for the students of Hogwarts. He fell asleep thinking of a cancelled Care of Magical Creatures lesson and an entire weekend to do what he pleased.

"ARGGGHHHGH!" Harry woke with a start to find Ron thrashing around in his bed. Harry whipped the covers off himself and grabbed his wand from the bedside table.

"Ron? Are you okay?" he asked, fear spreading through him when he didn't hear anything coming from the other side of the curtains. Seamus, Dean, and Neville were all awake with wands out by now. They all stood in silence, listening for a sound that meant Ron was still there. Ron slid the curtains open so fast that the boys nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Harry, he was here! He was holding a knife! He was trying to kill me!" Ron whimpered.

"Who Ron? Who was it?" Harry lowered his wand, now seeing that the danger had gone.

"He cut my sheets and stood over me. Ready to kill. But he must've had the wrong bed because it was me instead of you." Ron wasn't making any sense to Harry.

"Who was it?" Harry practically yelled to get Ron's attention away from the events and more to the people.

"It was…" Ron gulped in preparation. "Sirius Black,"

Harry was being pushed around the Gryffindor Common room. Dumbledore had been notified of the appearance of Mr. Black and protection was doubled at every entrance. Filch and the ghosts searched the castle to discover that Sirius Black had, indeed, escaped without being caught. The Gryffindor students had all been told to go back to bed once they had awoken to Ron's screaming. But they still lingered in the common room, hoping for more details on the catastrophic events of the night. It took Lucy 5 minutes to work around the people and find Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Ron was talking to a bunch of 4th year girls about the 'adventure' and Harry and Hermione were talking very seriously in near whispers.

"Harry!" Lucy rushed over to give him a hug. "Oh my god! I woke up and everyone was talking about Sirius Black and I was so scared! I thought something happened to you." She was in hysterics.

"Lucy, Lucy, I'm fine. Everyone is fine, I promise. There's no need to get upset, okay?" He rubbed her back until she calmed down. Ron kept talking to other students who all seemed very impressed. But Hermione was clearly not.

"He's acting so brave and chivalrous. He almost got killed by Sirius Black. He's telling it like it's a Gilderoy Lockhart fabricated story. He didn't even do anything!" she scowled in his direction. "He's not even worried about his best friend being in even more danger seeing as how Sirius Black can just get into the castle like that." She glared at Ron while he told some girls that Sirius had been brandishing a sword instead of a simple knife.

"Well, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow Harry, Lucy." Hermione stood up and flounced away, Crookshanks at her heels.

"C'mon, we should be going to bed as well." Harry said to Lucy. He stood up but she pulled him back. She held his arm so he couldn't go anywhere.

"Harry, I don't want you to die." she whispered in fear. Harry sighed.

"I'm not going to die, I swear! There are more Dementors and Dumbledore will make sure nothing else happens. Just go to bed, everything will be great by tomorrow. You'll see," He assured her. It took him several more tries before she was convinced he was okay. Harry went up to bed without saying goodnight to a still chattering Ron. He didn't hear him come in that night but found him in the Common room the next morning; asleep on the couch.


	5. Buckbeak

**Sorry it's been so long! I've been trying really hard to stay somewhat true to the book and this chapter was hard for some reason. I remember the movie better but I don't want it to be about the movie so I had to go back to the book and the Internet. Hope you like it! I want chapter 6 to be up sooner rather than later. I apologize for any choppiness.**

The trio didn't have time to linger on the frightening (or in Ron's case, lucky) evening. No more than 5 days later, Hagrid took Buckbeak, a high-spirited Hippogriff, to his hearing. For weeks, Hermione had been doing research to ensure the success of the poor creature. Harry and Ron had agreed to help but both had been caught up in their own lives to aid Hermione in the ongoing hunt, let alone remember it was even happening. Lucy had traded in her Herbology books for books about animal hearings and cruelty and spent all her spare time with Hermione in the library. She'd been going to visit with a worried Hagrid and developed a bond with Buckbeak very similar to Harry's. Every visit, Hagrid would ask about the research because the hearing date was ever approaching but Lucy never had the results he was hoping for.

And finally it was the day of the hearing. Harry and Ron had forgotten until Hermione had reminded them at breakfast, to which she ate none. She asked Professor McGonagall if she could skip her last class to go to Hagrid's hut to see how it went but the stern teacher declined. Lucy tried to focus on her lessons but her thoughts kept straying to the innocent beast. By lunch, she'd had enough. She needed something to distract her; something that would need more energy and attention than worrying. When Lucy walked into the Great Hall and scanned the Gryffindor table, she knew just what would do the trick.

"Hi Natalie, do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked timidly.

"Oh sure, well, I mean sure you can sit here not yeah I do mind actually, go sit somewhere else. That would be rude. Anyway, how ya been? Personally, I could be better. See, I got a 60% on the last Transfiguration test. I think McGonagall's got it in for me ever since I got the wrong answer on the first day and then complained about it." Natalie pouted and Lucy took the opportunity to get on track of another topic; one that could last for eternity if Natalie could last that long.

"So Natalie, who is the best-looking guy in Hogwarts?" she asked. For a minute, Natalie was stunned that shy, quiet Lucy had asked such a mature question.

"We talking all of Hogwarts?" she asked and Lucy nodded. "Teachers included?" Lucy nodded. Gross, she thought. Natalie took a minute to compose herself for a full-on blabber-thon.

"Well, I would personally say that there isn't one specific person. You definitely have to narrow it down into subcategories. For example, 3rd year Gryffindors, it's definitely your brother. I know that seems gross but you gotta admit he has this sort of look about him like 'I'm the Seeker with tousled hair and sensitive green eyes. I'm gonna make your senses scream with electricity so let's go.' But all of Gryffindor house, it has GOT to be Oliver Wood. Quidditch players just drive me insane – in a good way. When Oliver is saving a particularly hard throw of the Quaffle, his face gets all concentrated and his eyes are so sharp and focused that I wish I could be on the receiving end of them.

Slytherin Quidditch players are another thing entirely! Most of them must be part-troll or something. The only one worth a second glance is Draco Malfoy but his chin is too pointy and his hair too blonde. No one wants kids that inherit his looks." Natalie paused to shudder. "In Hufflepuff, I'd say you're looking at Cedric Diggory or Justin Finch-Fletchley. Both quite good-looking in different ways. Cedric's more handsome Prince Charming and Justin's like the dark enemy you know you can't have and it just makes you want him more.

Now try to guess who I would kiss if given the chance?" Natalie didn't let her guess. "George Weasley!" She smiled from ear to ear. "I know he looks exactly like his brother but I get a better vibe from him. His robes could do with a cleaning and his broomsticks a little old to make him the Quidditch star but whoever marries him better count her blessings."

Before Natalie could continue her rant, the bell rang and they had to rush off to Herbology. Professor Sprout had them doing textbook work in silence so the conversation couldn't continue. Lucy worked quickly and efficiently. She finished with 10 minutes to spare and was rewarded with 5 points to Gryffindor for being first done.

When they left the greenhouse to go to Charms, Lucy caught sight of Hagrid's solitary hut. In all that time, she hadn't thought once of Buckbeak. But the worry returned with vigour once more. She asked Professor Flitwick if she could go to the Hospital Wing since she had a 'headache.' She decided she would detour to the Transfiguration classroom to wait for the trio instead of returning to class. She listened to the steady ticking of a nearby clock until the bell rang and the time had come.

Harry was surprised to see Lucy sitting outside of their classroom door. She looked nervously up at him and he returned a look of anxiety and guilt.

"Oh good, you're here," Hermione said when she saw Lucy. "Hagrid sent me a letter right after the hearing had finished. He's staying overnight at the Leaky Cauldron tonight so we can't visit him until tomorrow." She paused.

"Just hurry up and tell us what happened," Lucy pleaded, tears forming in her bright green eyes. Harry put an arm around her to comfort her. Hermione took a deep breath to steady her voice.

"Buckbeak lost. He'll have an appeal in June but if he's already lost the hearing there's not much that will change." She paused. "He'll be executed." A couple tears fell from her eyes.

"We're sorry we didn't help very much Hermione. Harry and I will go to the library every chance we get to help Hagrid." Ron offered. Hermione kept crying. "And I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend to you recently, or to Harry. I got a little carried away with the Sirius Black thing I guess," he looked down at his feet.

"A little carried away? You were parading it around like you'd won a thousand galleons!" Hermione informed him, but she smiled anyway. "Apology accepted. Now if we want Hagrid to have any chance in the appeal, we'll have to get started right away. There were a lot of books I didn't get the chance to look in before the hearing and there might be something I missed. C'mon, we'll go right now that we've got the chance." She grabbed Ron and Harry, who was still holding onto Lucy, and ran in the direction of the library.

"Can't we at least have something to eat first?" Ron complained but Hermione didn't stop at the Great Hall. Instead, she started him off with five books to peruse while she re-searched old ones. Harry would have gladly helped but Lucy was overcome with tears and he felt the need to hug her until she calmed down enough to do some work. He was new to the whole big brother thing but he wasn't failing miserably. The four of them stayed in the library late into the night.

Over the next few weeks, Harry always knew where to find his two best friends and his sister – the library. It wasn't until the first week of May that they postponed their Buckbeak efforts in exchange for some studying and homework. Exams would be starting soon and teachers weren't going easy on the third year students. Lucy was the only one to find time every day to pop into the shelves of books and scan a few chapters at least. But even then, there was no such luck on finding anything that would save the Hippogriff. Harry was spending the least amount of time on it since he also had the final Quidditch match coming up mid-May. Oliver was working the players to the ends of the earth to try to win the cup. It was his last year and his last chance to win for Gryffindor house. Hermione was also spending less time amongst Animal Rights books while she worked steadily on passing her exams. Ron and Lucy were the most consistent.

Exams. Harry and Ron had Transfiguration and Charms on the first day and it seemed like the worst would probably be over. Care of Magical Creatures was easily the simplest exam they'd ever taken and they'd gotten a chance to speak to Hagrid.

"We'll know day after tomorrow for sure," he had said sadly. Potions were awful and Harry was sure Snape had given him a zero since his Confusion Concoction wouldn't thicken. Astronomy and History of Magic passed quickly. Herbology was the last one of the second day and the students were glad it would be over tomorrow. Defense Against the Dark Arts was first and Harry passed with full marks. Ron got stuck in the swamp by a Hinkypunk and Hermione burst out of the Boggart trunk, crying.

"Professor McGonagall told me I f-f-failed everything!" She exclaimed hysterically. And the last one, at least for the boys, was Divination. Harry was doomed to be last on this one and so he'd find out about Buckbeak last.

In his exam, he made up that he saw Buckbeak flying away from the grounds in the crystal ball. When the exam was over, he tried to make a run for it but before he had a chance to escape, something strange happened. Professor Trelawney said to him in a trance-like voice, her eyes out of focus, the following: "It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies aloneand friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight...the servant...will set out...to rejoin...his master..."

Harry stared at her as she snapped out of it, unaware of what she had just said. Harry stood for a moment until she shooed him away. Off he ran down to the Gryffindor Common room. He burst through the entrance behind the Fat Lady like no tomorrow. Ron, Hermione, and Lucy sat at a round table by the fireplace, huddled around a piece of parchment. Harry tried to catch his breath before walking over.

"You'll never believe what Professor Trelawney –" but Hermione shoved the parchment into his face for him to read.

_Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it. Hagrid._

"We have to go; we can't let him be by himself." Harry jumped up from the chair he had fallen into.

"Sunset though, Harry. We shouldn't risk it, should we?" Ron hesitated. Harry breathed deeply.

"If only we had the Invisibility cloak," he muttered, mentally kicking himself for leaving it under the witch's hump. "I can't let Snape see me in the corridors or he'll expel me for sure!" He told them.

"So he can't see _you_?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded. "I'll go get it then, just wait here for me." She ran out the door and was back within minutes. "It'll be a squeeze with the four of us but just stay close to each other and we should be good." She said as they slipped underneath. They exited the school without a hitch and Hermione led the way down the sloping grounds where they could see Buckbeak tied to the wooden post. Hagrid was inside, presumably eating a small dinner. Ron reached out and knocked on the door. They heard a yelp from inside, the scraping of a chair and then the wood door was swung open to reveal Rubeus Hagrid, who was in a terrible mess.

"Who's there?" he called into the evening light.

"It's us, let us in please," Hermione whispered. Hagrid jumped when she spoke since he could not see a face to go along with the voice. He stepped aside to let them in then shut the door with a bang. They took the cloak off the minute they were safely inside the home. Fang sniffed around them to make sure they were friends, not foes.

"What are you four doing here? It's against the rules, especially for you two," he pointed to Harry and Lucy.

"Hagrid, when have we ever followed the rules?" Ron joked but Hagrid wasn't kidding.

"I'm already hanging by a thread here as it is. I don't need the safety of three third years and a first year hanging over my head as well. Thank you for coming by, but you all need to leave… now!" He went to open the door so they could leave but the 4 students remained stationary.

"We don't want you to be alone when it happens," Hermione argued.

"I won't be alone. Dumbledore is coming down and he won't be impressed about you being here. Neither will the Minister actually," Hagrid said. Harry stood up from his seat at the table.

"The Minister of Magic will be here? Why didn't you tell us that to begin with?" He asked angrily, grabbing the cloak and beckoning the others to get under it.

"It never came up before and I wasn't about to start bragging about it," Hagrid defended. "Oh! Before you go, I have something for Ron," He strode across the room and opened one of the metal cages that adorned one side of the hut. He pulled a scrawny brown thing from inside and handed it to Ron.

"Scabbers!" He said excitedly then turned guiltily to Hermione. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. Hermione crossed her arms getting ready for a lecture but Hagrid stopped them.

"They're coming, quick go out the back door," He ushered them to the back and they just barely opened the door when a knock came at the front door. "Just a minute!" Hagrid called to the executers. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lucy scuttled along the side of the house, trying not to make any noise and stay under the cloak. They managed to get to the top of the hill and turned around to watch. It was hard to see past the giant pumpkins but they saw the axe go up, then swing mercilessly down. Harry held Lucy while she whimpered in grief. Hermione looked like she was going to throw up.

"Ouch!" Ron jumped back, making the cloak slip off them.

"Ron!" Harry cried, trying to pull the cloak at least over himself and Lucy. Ron was sucking on his right forefinger.

"It's Scabbers, he bit me!" Ron was still holding the squirming rat but the animal was clearly trying to make a run for it.

"Hold him tighter," Harry suggested but nothing Ron did was stopping Scabbers from leaping from his hands and scurrying away. Ron chased after him. "Ron! We don't have time for this!" The other three chased Ron across the grounds. Ron made a dramatic leap and landed with a thud but with Scabbers in his hand. Hermione and Harry froze several feet away from him, Harry sticking his arm out to prevent Lucy from getting any closer.

"Ron, come quickly, get over here," Hermione whispered in fear. Ron was sitting up now and stroking Scabbers to get him to calm down. He looked up at Hermione's voice. "Ron, it's the Whomping Willow, get out of the way," She cried urgently. Suddenly, Ron's face broke out into a look of complete fear, like death was looking him in the face.

"Harry! Run, it's the Grim!" He screamed. They all whirled around to see a big, black, shaggy dog baring its teeth. It jumped into the air and hit Harry in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The dog rolled off and away from Harry and landed on Ron. It bit his leg and dragged him off towards the Whomping Willow. The two animals and the wizard disappeared into a hole in its trunk.


	6. A Hunch

"We've got to save him!" Harry lunged forward just as a branch from the tree came swooping down and knocked the wind out of him. He jumped up quickly and backed up to where the girls were standing. "C'mon, just duck past all the branches, we can do this for Ron," Harry held their hands and bravely moved forward.

"Wait, Harry!" Hermione pulled him back. She pointed at something moving towards the tree. He followed her finger and saw Crookshanks, the orange cat, walking briskly in the direction of the trunk. He was small enough that the limbs of the tree didn't attack him. He stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on a knot in the tree. Immediately, the tree froze in the position it was in. No longer the whomping Willow, Harry led the way to where Crookshanks sat waiting for them to go through. It was a small opening in the trunk that led down and out away from the grounds. Harry deposited the Invisibility Cloak at the base of the tree, thinking they didn't need it anymore.

"I wonder where this leads to." Hermione voiced aloud, following Harry and Lucy into the Whomping Willow. Lucy held tightly to Harry's hand, afraid of the black dog and tight space.

"I don't know Hermione. It's on the map but Fred and George don't even know where it goes to. It leads off the Hogwarts grounds so I assume it's in Hogesmeade, or somewhere near." He said, bending low in the tunnel. They walked for several minutes, the tunnel going deeper and deeper. It felt at least as long as the trip to Honeyduke's. Lucy was starting to get more scared and Hermione was nervous as to what was coming. But Harry didn't let them catch their bearings as he thought about what that dog was going to do to Ron.

Soon, the tunnel was starting to move upright and Harry found a trapdoor at the top. He climbed through cautiously, and then pulled Lucy and Hermione up when he didn't see any danger. He looked around at their surroundings more closely. It was dark and dank inside; rather damp too. The walls were decaying wood and there was no furniture or decorations. The floor was covered with a layer of dust and dirt while the walls had what looked like claw marks in it.

"Stay close to me," he beckoned the girls closer. Hermione was looking around curiously as they tentatively climbed a set of creaky stairs.

"Harry, I think we're in the Shrieking Shack," she said, turning to face him. Before he could respond, the floor above them creaked and Lucy let out a yelp. Harry quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle any other sounds. "Let's go," Hermione said and they started back up the stairs to a door. Harry got his wand out from his jeans pocket and slowly opened the door. Inside the room was a four poster bed that looked like it would fall apart any second, and Ron, lying on the floor, holding his obviously broken leg.

"Harry, Lucy! It's a trap, he's an animagus!" Ron shouted from his spot on the ground, and pointed to a spot behind the door they had just opened. A man behind it shut the door with a slam and Harry jumped back in alarm. He grabbed Lucy and stood in front of her in a hopeless attempt at saving her. Sirius Black could blast him out of the way and get to her easily. It was like a replay of that Halloween night 12 years ago.

"Hello Harry, it's good to see you again," Sirius Black had long matted hair and was wearing filthy robes from his time in Azkaban. His face was sunken and waxy and looked like a corpse. "Expelliarmus!" Black shouted, using Ron's stolen wand to disarm Harry, Hermione, and Lucy. "I knew you would come help your friend, Harry. You're exactly like your father. Always needing to be the man of the hour." Black grumbled, staring hungrily at the students.

"Don't you talk about my father!" Harry shouted back. He wanted to kill Black right there and never before had he felt so helpless. His wand was lying feet away from him but he couldn't risk going to get it. But he needed to kill this man who had killed his parents. Then Harry remembered that just because he didn't have a wand didn't mean he couldn't attack. He lunged forward at the prison escapee but was held back by a surprisingly strong grip. It was Lucy. Ron tried to stand but winced in pain and stayed sitting.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all of us!" He cried, again trying to at least sit on the bed. Sirius looked at him for a second before turning back to Harry.

"Don't try to stand; you'll only make your leg worse." He muttered softly. Ron looked confused.

"Didn't you hear me? I said you'll have to kill all four of us!" He shouted. Sirius chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"There will only be one murder tonight," He said, staring right into Harry's emerald green eyes.

"Why's that? Nothing stopped you from killing 13 muggles and Peter Pettigrew all those years ago. What's that compared to four students?" Harry said angrily, Lucy's grip tightening on his wrist.

"Harry! Don't say anything stu-" Hermione began but Harry cut her off with yelling.

"HE KILLED OUR PARENTS!" He shouted. Anger had overtaken his brain and he broke free from Lucy's killer grip. She let out a yelp while he moved towards Sirius Black. He didn't care that he was a 13 year old and Sirius was a full grown man. He was going to do this for his parents. Harry grabbed Black's wand hand and pointed the wand away from him while his other hand formed a fist and found contact with the side of Black's head. He backed into a wall that should have broken straight through since it was crumbling so much. All of a sudden, Harry saw Hermione come running and swing her leg out at Sirius. Lucy came as well, punching the man in the stomach. The four of them fell to the floor and began throwing punches and kicks. Harry saw a wand roll across the floor, away from the fight and reached out to grab it.

"Stop it!" He yelled and the witches stood up to see what was happening. Hermione stepped back, bringing Lucy with her. "It's time I avenged my parents after you murdered them!" He pointed the wand right at Black's chest. Black smiled slightly.

"I don't deny doing it Harry. But I think you need to hear the whole story before you think about killing me." He said, sitting up after being abused.

"Whole story?" Lucy spoke for the first time. Her voice shook slightly but her face was set in determination. "The whole story is that you betrayed your friends and got them killed. You deserve this," she spat. Black looked at her and something flickered in his eyes like a memory he had just come to remember.

"You both need to listen to me before you do something you'll regret. You don't understand – " He started.

"We understand more than you think. And it's for that reason that you'll die tonight!" Harry needed to do the spell but couldn't bring himself to say the words. _Just do it_, he thought. They stood in silence while time passed by but Harry remained frozen. He could hear Black's ragged breathing along with Ron's sharp intakes of breath. Hermione was silent and Lucy was biting her lip so hard it would start bleeding soon. _Harry, just kill him_, a voice screamed in Harry's head. He wanted to kill this man so badly! Suddenly, they heard muffled footsteps coming from downstairs.

"We're up here! Come quickly! Sirius Black is up here!" Hermione screamed and Black's face broke out into a look of sheer terror. They heard the footsteps climbing the stairs and burst through the door. Professor Lupin stood, white-faced and shabbier than ever. He looked from Harry to Black then pointed his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand left his fingertips once again. He saw the ones from Hermione, Lucy, and Ron fly into the air. They were caught by the Professor. Lupin looked down at Black.

"Where is he, Sirius?" he asked, his voice urgent. Black remained expressionless but pointed a dirty finger to Ron who had managed to hoist himself onto the bed. Ron's face, if possible, went even whiter. Harry was confused. Shouldn't Sirius be pointing at him? Ron wasn't involved in this triangle of killing. Even Lupin looked confused as he held his own wand in Ron's direction for safety. "But then, that means… he was the one… no. He can't have been… unless you switched… and I didn't know." Black nodded.

"Lupin, what's going -?" Harry tried to get the Professor to look at him but he cut him off. Lupin looked back down at Black and did the one thing none of them were expecting. He lowered his wand away from Black's chest and reached a hand out to help him up. When he'd stood, the two embraced each other like long lost brothers. Harry felt anger and confusion bubble below his skin. He needed to find out what was going on.

"I don't believe it!" Hermione shrieked. They stopped hugging as Lupin turned to face her. "All this time, I've been keeping your secret!" she cried.

"Now Hermione let me tell them. I can explain it better," Lupin tried to silence Hermione but her rant continued.

"Harry, don't trust him. He's been sneaking Black into the castle, he wants you dead and he's a… a werewolf." She said, looking down at her feet. Lupin shook his head.

"Not quite Hermione. I haven't been in contact with Black for twelve years, let alone helping him into the castle. And I for sure do not want Harry dead any more than you do. But you're right about one thing." He looked at the rest of them individually. "I am, in fact, a werewolf." Ron leapt back farther onto the bed and Harry took a few meagre steps backwards. "How long have you known?" he asked Hermione.

"Since Snape set that werewolf essay." She admitted. "I should've gone to someone about it," she added. Lupin shook his head.

"The staff all knew, you were smart to keep your mouth shut though. Some staff members would have rather I wasn't there. Some thought Dumbledore was crazy to hire me." He explained. "He had a hard time convincing some of the teachers that I was trustworthy."

"But you're not! You've been helping him!" Lucy spoke. She pointed at Black who recoiled a little at her harsh tone.

"No, I haven't. If you'll all just relax and let me explain, I'm sure you'll have different feelings toward the situation we're in." Lupin handed them their wands back and tucked his own wand away. "There, now you are armed and we are not. Now will you let me tell you what happened?" As he said this, Black walked to the four poster bed and sank into it, his head his hands. Ron edged away carefully.

Harry wasn't sure if this was a trick or not. He had a feeling it wasn't. He had to be sure though.

"How did you know he was here then?" he asked.

"I saw him on the Marauder's map. It's still in my office and I've been looking at it every evening." Lupin explained. Harry frowned.

"You know how to use it?" he asked. Lupin nodded.

"I helped make it." He said and when Harry gave him a confused look, he continued. "I'm Moony. It was my friends' nickname for me in school. I was watching it tonight because I had a feeling you four would be sneaking off to Hagrid's to see what happened to Buckbeak. I was right, wasn't I? Before you ask any more questions Harry, I'll tell you. Even under an Invisibility cloak, you still appear on the map. Don't say anything yet," Lupin held up a hand as Harry opened his mouth. "You went to Hagrid's then twenty minutes later, left but with someone else."

"We weren't with anyone else," Hermione interrupted.

"Yes you were, let me finish." He paused before continuing. "You headed up to the Whomping Willow where you were met by Sirius. He dragged two of you down into the trunk of the tree."

"No, only one of us! Only me!" Ron protested from the bed.

"Two, Ron. Can I have a look at your rat please?" he asked, holding out a hand to accept the animal.

"What does Scabbers have to do with this?" Ron asked, holding the rat nearer to his chest. Lupin moved closer as to take the rat away. He smiled.

"Everything. Just hand him over Ron, I'm not going to hurt him." Ron shook his head.

"Just tell me what my rat has to do with this." He held tightly to Scabbers who was trying to escape again. Black started to laugh hysterically. Lupin even chuckled quietly. Black recovered, wiping his sunken eyes.

"That isn't a rat my dear boy," his face became serious as he stared hungrily at Scabbers. "That's an animagus and his name is Peter Pettigrew."

**Please review! I wrote this one very quickly so I apologize for any typos or grammar mistakes. I proofread it a few times so I think it should be good! Anyway, tell me what you think so far!**


	7. What?

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lucy stared at the two men like they were crazy. It was impossible that Ron's rat was Peter Pettigrew. He had been dead for 12 years; in fact, the dark-haired man in the room had killed him. Lupin and Black let the absurdity sink in for them. Then Ron voiced what they were all thinking.

"You're mental! This isn't Peter Pettigrew. His name is Scabbers." Ron's face screwed up in fear, confusion, and pain from his leg. Sirius shook his head violently, the long hair whipping around his head.

"You think I killed Peter Pettigrew but I didn't," He admitted. "I wanted to that night, but I never did. So tonight, this is my revenge." He lunged at Scabbers, knocking Ron's leg in the process and making him cry out in pain. Ron held the rat away as best as he could as Sirius reached out for him. But Lupin grabbed Sirius by the shoulders and pulled him back.

"I know you want to kill him. And I'm not going to stop you but you owe Ron the truth about who his rat is. And you owe Harry and Lucy the truth about everything." He said calmly. They both looked at the Potter siblings. Sirius nodded but stayed silent.

"You tell them Remus, I don't think I can." He said. Lupin clapped him on the shoulder and turned to face the four others.

"Okay, here it is. Don't interrupt me please, or it will take too long. We want to get this over with as soon as possible." Lupin began. Ron and Lucy nodded and Harry and Hermione said 'Okay.' So Lupin started the story.

"It all started when I became a werewolf. I was just a child and, back then, there was no known cure. My parents tried everything and they worried about sending me to school. Other parents wouldn't want their children exposed to someone like me. Dumbledore let me in though and he worked hard on making sure I didn't harm myself or anyone else. The Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. It wasn't just planted for scenery. It was planted _for_ me. It led to the shrieking shack where I could come once a month when the moon was full. The shack isn't haunted; it was always me being transformed. Villagers blamed it on violent spirits and Dumbledore encouraged it.

Now, in school, I had three best friends: Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. And they weren't stupid. They questioned why I was gone once a month at the same time. I made up lies so they wouldn't find out the truth but they were like Hermione. When they found out, they didn't desert me and instead, took a great risk to make me feel better. They all became animagi. Now, before you interrupt me, Hermione, I know what you're going to ask. After they became full animagi in 5th year, they never went to the ministry to register themselves. They still haven't for…obvious reasons. We would spend many nights out here as our animal counterparts. It was dangerous for all of us and I felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust. We didn't even stay in the Shack. Eventually, we were brave enough to wander the grounds and the village. James and Sirius were big enough animals to keep me in check. I wasn't as monstrous with them around. I was more in my own mind than usual. We knew the grounds so well that we wrote the Marauder's Map and signed our nicknames on the bottom.

All year, I have felt so much guiltier for not telling Dumbledore that three students could transform into animals. I often felt I should tell him about Sirius being an animagus but I didn't. I was embarrassed and scared of losing his trust. His trust is one of the most important things to me. He accepted me when no one else would because of my condition. I assumed Sirius might be getting into the grounds through Dark Magic that Voldemort had taught him. Snape was right about me the whole time." Black looked at Lupin. His eyes taken off Scabbers for the first time since Lupin had started explaining.

"Snape?" he asked sharply. Lupin nodded.

"He's here, Sirius. He teaches at Hogwarts." Lupin looked back towards the kids. "Snape went to school with us. He was against Dumbledore appointing me teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He told Dumbledore numerous times that I couldn't be trusted. He had reason to think that of course. Sirius played a nasty trick on him while we were in school which almost killed him. He knew Snape was interested in where I went every month so he told Snape that if he used a long stick to freeze the Whomping Willow and followed the tunnel, he would find me. It was a stupid thing to do. When James heard about what Sirius had done, he ran down to the tree and pulled Snape out of the tunnel before he got seriously hurt. But Snape had seen me transforming. He was sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore; forbidden to tell anyone. But he knew what I was… what I am." He said. Harry interrupted him though.

"So that's why Snape hates you? He thought you were in on it. He thought you were going to hurt him on purpose." He ventured.

"That's right," sneered a voice from behind the open door. A swishing of cloaks and Severus Snape was revealed. "Thank you for leaving the Invisibility cloak at the base of the tree, Potter. It came in handy." He pulled his wand out. "And now I get to turn Sirius Black in to the authorities. The Dementors miss you, you know." He walked closer to Sirius.

"Now Severus, let's not get hasty here. If you'll just listen to the rest of the story, you'll find you have a different opinion about Sirius." Lupin tried to interject.

"Quite Remus! It's your fault I'm here anyway. I went up to your office to give you your potion and found a map open on your desk. I watched you go through that tunnel you used to use. The nerve, using this old place as your hiding place for Black." He gave Sirius a disgusted look.

"You don't understand Severus. Just listen and you'll find out the truth." Remus tried again. Snape pointed his wand at Lupin and cords shot out of the tip, binding his mouth, ankles, and wrists. The teacher toppled over, losing his balance. Black leaped toward Snape, ready to tackle him to the ground but Snape had swung his wand from Lupin to Black. Instantly, Black stopped moving. His face was a mixture of hatred, fear, and anger.

"Don't move!" Snape ordered, even though he was already frozen. "I'll take you and the werewolf up to the Dementors. You four," he barked at the students. "Follow behind me. You're all facing expulsion, I hope you're aware."

"But professor, maybe we should j-just hear the rest of the st-story." Hermione bravely said. Snape snapped his head around so quickly, they were surprised it didn't break. He glared at Hermione.

"You have no idea how lucky you were that I came here. You could have all been killed. Now get a move on or I'll expel you right here on the spot." His beady black eyes looked them all in the face. He turned to grab the cords that bound Professor Lupin as Harry lifted his wand. He shouted 'Expelliarmus' at the same time as Ron, Hermione, and Lucy. The effect was intense. The hinges on the door rattled and the spell not only disarmed Snape, but sent him flying backwards. He was knocked unconscious on impact. The binds on Lupin became loose and he yanked them off. Everyone looked at each other, nearly in shock.

"Thank you," Lupin said at last. "You shouldn't have done that but, thank you."

"I still don't believe you." Harry replied shortly. Lupin and Black exchanged glances. Lupin turned back to Harry and Lucy, looking them directly in the eye.

"Then it's time we showed you some proof. Ron, it's time for you to hand us your rat, whatever you call him, Scabbers." Lupin stretched his hand out to retrieve the animal yet again. Harry nodded to Ron to let him know that it was going to turn out alright if he did surrender the rat.

"How do you know this is Peter Pettigrew? Even if he is a rat, how do you know this is your rat?" Ron asked, still sceptical. Every head turned to look at Black who had backed into a corner the second Ron had started questioning him. Lupin gave him a face as if to say 'Well, how did you?' Black sighed, knowing he would have to explain before they could kill Peter.

"It all started this summer. Fudge, the Minister of Magic," everyone nodded, having already known this fact. "Well, he came to talk to me and he gave me the newspaper. I had nothing else to do all day, so I read it. On the front of the page was this young boy and his family. You were in Egypt as I recall." Ron nodded, not quite seeing where this was going. "Well, sitting atop Ron's shoulder was Peter – or Scabbers – and it said that the boy would be returning to Hogwarts. It was where Harry was." Black finished. "I recognized Peter from the many times we had transformed as students. And notice how one of his toes is missing? It was so simple for him, wasn't it?"

"Of course," Lupin concurred. The 13 and 11 year olds just gave them a blank look. All of them except Harry who knew what had supposedly happened to Peter Pettigrew that one night.

"All that was left of Pettigrew on that street was a finger." He realized out loud. Black snapped his fingers.

"Exactly. He shouted to the whole street that I had betrayed Lily and James, and then he blasted the street with the wand he had hidden on his person. He cut off his finger before he transformed into a rat and scurried off down a sewer probably." He explained. As much as Harry didn't want to believe him, wanted still to do him harm for allowing his parents to die, he was still curious as to how this had happened. He didn't have a chance to question this before Ron had interjected.

"Scabbers has been in my family for years. He can't be an animagus. You're both mental," He said.

"Please, if you'll let me finish what Remus doesn't know. I'm sure you'll be very glad to give us that…thing." Black spit the last word out, glaring at Scabbers. When there was silence, Black took it as a prompt to continue. "I befriended your cat over here who knew Peter for what he was. He also knew what I was so he avoided me at first. When at last I got the message through to him about what I was after, he helped me." Hermione cut in. Black wasn't used to having someone question him every couple of sentences.

"Helping you? How? He's just a cat." She said.

"At first he tried to bring Peter directly to me. But it proved more difficult than either of us thought. So he stole the Gryffindor passwords off a boy's bedside table where he'd written them out. It wasn't long, however, that Peter discovered what was happening. He tried to run away. The cat told me he had left blood on his owner's sheets and had not been seen since. My guesses are that he bit himself to fake his own death. He hoped it would work again, after all these years." As Black finished explaining, Harry felt his heart sink. It all made sense, no matter how absurd it was. "See, Peter, faking your death doesn't always work because now we've got you." And suddenly Harry clued in to what words were being said.

"Why did he have to fake his own death the first time?" He demanded.

"Because he knew you were going to kill him like you did to our parents?" Lucy added, her bravery surprising Harry.

"No, it wasn't like that. You two still don't have the whole story I think. We're getting there." Lupin defended.

"But you were their secret-keeper! And you gave them over to Voldemort!" Harry was regaining his anger at Sirius Black. But Sirius was shaking his head back and forth.

"I was going to be their secret-keeper, yes. And I didn't give them over to anyone. I persuaded James and Lily to switch their secret-keeper to Peter at the last moment. On the night they died, I was going to check to make sure Peter was alright and managing. But he wasn't in his hiding place, nor was there any sign of struggle or kidnapping. I headed straight to your parent's house but I was too late. I saw the house and the bodies and I knew what Peter had done that night. What I'd done," Black broke off, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Enough, Sirius, just relax. It wasn't your fault and I don't blame you for their death." Lupin said. He looked at Ron. "Hand me the rat, Ron, so we can get this over with." He said, icily. Ron hesitated but gave in to the teacher's steely glare. Lupin held the rat tightly around the middle. "Okay, Sirius, we're going to do this together on the count of three." Black nodded in accordance. "Okay, one…two…three." On three, Lupin put Scabbers on the floor as both men's wands shot an icy blue light towards him. The rat took off but his transformation was already beginning. Legs and arms started sprouting from the body like strange branches on a tree. A human face and head were becoming more evident while his torso was redefined as a regular stomach and chest.

And as crazy as it seemed, there was a man on all fours right in the place where a rat had stood mere seconds ago. Peter Pettigrew had shown himself at last.

**Okay, if anyone wants to do fan art for this feel free. Don't even ask. I know no one's going to want to do that, but you never know. I know Lucy doesn't say much in this but she'll get a huge spiel in the next chapter. Sorry for any choppiness, it's a lot of information that everyone already knows but I still need it in here. Review please!**


	8. The Wolfhound and the Stag

The look on everyone's faces would have been pricelessly funny had the situation not been so serious. So this was him; the man who had killed Lily and James Potter. Because it didn't matter what everyone else in the world thought, Harry and Lucy had heard the story and seen the proof. Sirius was innocent and Peter was a dead man. Peter Pettigrew stood up, clueing in that he was in human form again. He was short and fat with a bald spot on his head. His hair and skin were old and leathery like Scabbers' had been. He was only as tall as Lucy and he was wringing his wrists. He really did look like a rat. He spotted Lupin standing across the room next to Sirius.

"Remus! My old friend, you're here!" he held his arms out in the direction of the werewolf. Sirius raised his wand but Lupin put it back down hastily.

"Not yet, just be patient." He muttered. Peter was backing away from them slowly; his big watery eyes had filled with terror. He pointed a grubby finger at Sirius.

"It's him, Remus! He's come back to kill me like he tried to all those years ago." He gasped. "He killed Lily and James, Remus." Peter backed into the crumbling wall. Sirius rolled his eyes at the fake dramatics. "I've been waiting for this for 12 years. I knew someday he would break out. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks of dark magic and now he's going to finish what he started. Be careful Remus, he's dangerous." Peter continued. Lupin stepped forward, away from Sirius and towards Peter.

"We've been talking Peter and maybe you missed some things while you were struggling to get away. But we know what you did to send Sirius to Azkaban and kill two of your friends." He said, his voice menacing. "We're not going to let you get away with this. Do you understand?" he asked. Peter appeared to be trying to melt through the wall and disappear again. But he didn't have anywhere to turn.

"But…but how did he get out of Azkaban if he didn't use Dark Magic? It's impossible to just leave." Peter stuttered, trying desperately to buy time.

"Dementors can't sense animal emotions very well. I snuck out a dog, it wasn't that difficult. Stop making excuses to keep us from killing you." Sirius barked, becoming more like the dog he had been. Peter shook his head. His whole face went from fear to shock back to fear.

"No," he whispered. He looked around, searching the room and his brain for any further distractions. "Ron!" he cried, striding over to the bed. "Ron you'll save me, won't you? I was such a good pet to you. You're not going to let them do this." He begged. Ron gave him a look of disgust.

"I let you sleep in my _bed_!" was the only thing he could utter. Peter turned to Hermione instead, realizing these words meant denial. He grabbed the bottoms of her robes.

"Oh smart, clever girl, you wouldn't let this happen to anyone. I'm the innocent one here. Don't let them come near me," he was almost sobbing.

"Get off me! You're disgusting, and you're not innocent!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping back. Peter was running out of saviours. There were only two others that could save him if he was going to be saved at all: Lucy and Harry. The children of the friends that Sirius and Remus were trying to avenge. Peter was still grovelling on his knees. He began whimpering as he reached Harry. He knew that there was hardly a hope left for him. But he still had to try.

"Harry…oh Harry…you look just like your father…just like James."

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO HIM!" Sirius and Lucy shrieked together. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Sirius continued. Peter recoiled at the harsh tones.

"Your father wouldn't want me to die…he would have understood." He said to both Harry and Lucy.

"NEVER TALK ABOUT THEIR FATHER IN FRONT OF THEM!" Sirius exploded, reaching forward to pull Peter back by the shoulders. He and Lupin hoisted him into a standing position. "We're going to kill you right here, you deserve what you're getting." He bared his teeth at Peter, life coming back to his eyes at the thought of murdering the rat-like man. He let go of Peter who tumbled back down to the ground.

"Do you deny selling James and Lily to Voldemort?" Sirius asked, pointing his wand at Peter's chest.

"You don't understand. He was so powerful; he was going to kill me if I didn't tell him where they were. It was so hard, Sirius." Peter whimpered in reply.

"Then you should've died! DIED WHETHER THAN BETRAY THEM! It's what any of us would have done for you!" Sirius jabbed his wand making Peter start nearly crying. It looked pathetic. Sirius was panting now with exertion. "Goodbye Peter." He said.

"Wait!" Harry cried before Sirius and Lupin could even begin to say the curse. "You can't do this!" He stepped around them in front of Peter. "We should bring him up to the castle and let the Dementors kiss him. He can go to Azkaban for what he did." He explained. The two men lowered their wands, liking the idea of having him suffer the Dementors kiss. But others in the room had a different opinion.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy stepped over to stand beside Harry, her face twisted into confusion. "Harry, you're going to let this man live? After everything we've heard tonight and learned about the past, you're going to let him off with a sentence to Azkaban?" she paused, letting the words sink in. Harry nodded. "Harry, listen to me. I've spent my whole life not knowing who I was. I had a loving family and a nice house but then I got my Hogwarts letter and I finally learned about you. I spent a few months looking for you and reading about you in old Daily Prophet articles. And then I did find you and it took weeks for you to come around and realize the truth. Now, tonight, we both learned about the past no one ever knew. I learned that this man is the reason mum and dad are dead. I never knew my real parents and it's his fault." She pointed at Peter, tears slowly filling her eyes.

"In all these months, we've been waiting for Sirius Black to show up so you could get your revenge. Why don't you feel the same hatred against him? You told me you wanted to kill whoever killed our parents. But why does that feeling have to change just because the murderer did? And you," she rounded on Peter. "I hate you. You destroyed a family and all because Voldemort had more power than they did. You just wanted to be liked and have that same sense of superiority. But you're just like the scum and grime that covers these floors: disgusting! I hope they kill you so maybe you can feel even a morsel of what my parents felt when they lost their lives too soon. Except that you've got a reason to die. They were innocent. Harry, they were innocent and now they're gone." Lucy was crying now. Harry leaned down to hug her tightly.

He hadn't realized how hard it had been on her. All the days he'd been awaiting a letter from Carol Harrington, she'd been waiting for his love and care. She'd just been waiting for the family she never knew. But somehow, he felt like killing wasn't the answer. She did have truth in her words; Harry's feelings of murder had changed tonight but not because it was Peter instead of Sirius. She'd also been right about learning so much in so little time. This was why he had changed his mind.

"Lucy, I'm sorry. I just don't think our mum and dad would have wanted their two friends to become killers. Peter isn't worth that either." He reasoned. Lucy looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face, soaking the front of her sweater. She recomposed herself.

"Harry, do whatever you feel is needed. I trust you," she said. They hugged again. When they let go of one another, Harry turned to face Peter. "I hope you're not too scared of Dementors, because that's where you're headed." He said. Lupin and Sirius smiled at the two kids with respect for the decision that had been made. Lupin bound and gagged Peter so he wouldn't escape. He also strapped Ron's leg for the trip up to the castle. He could get the bones fixed at the Hospital Wing later.

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked. At first, Sirius looked reluctant to come up with a plan. He would rather just leave him in the rotting shack.

"Mobilicorpus," he muttered and Snape floated into a standing position, his head still slumped forward. Sirius also conjured chains to attach to Peter and two lucky volunteers (Ron and Lupin) so he couldn't escape even if he dared try.

"If you transform, we'll kill you. There'll be no second choice or chance for you." Sirius growled in the Animagus' ear. Peter nodded; sweat began to form in droplets at his forehead. The strange group headed back down to the tunnel. Harry, Lucy and Sirius led the group with Snape hovering a few feet in front of them. Hermione came next with Crookshanks at her heels, followed by Ron, Lupin, and Peter in between them. The Whomping Willow was still motionless when they arrived at the end. It was late evening now and the sky was dark. Black clouds covered the skies but the castle stood out gloriously. Sirius walked towards it, a look of happiness and life returning to his eyes. Harry followed him and Lucy had the urge to do the same. But Sirius was Harry's godfather, they deserved a moment.

So, instead, Lucy helped Hermione and Lupin ease Ron onto the ground. Lupin carefully lifted the bottom of Ron's pant leg to examine the bite marks. They weren't too deep but blood caked his shin and knee. Lucy looked away, concentrating on the starless sky above. Clouds were beginning to shift and a sliver of moon began to show. Its light fell directly onto Lucy's face as she felt a lone tear make its way down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly knowing it wasn't that she was sad or scared. She was just over-whelmed.

"Professor?" Hermione whimpered making Lucy turn to face them again. Hermione was pointing up to where Lucy's eyes had been staring. The sliver of moon had grown to reveal the entirety of the planet. Lucy and Hermione let out identical squeals. Sirius and Harry whipped around quickly to see what the trouble was. Harry followed the groups gaze to the sky and immediately felt cold panic sweep through him although he wasn't sure why for a minute. Sirius realized what was happening before it had barely even happened.

"Remus, your potion…? Did you take it?" he asked, rushing over. But Lupin was unable to respond. He was clutching at his chest as if in pain. Suddenly his feet began protruding from his shoes and his clothes began to rip and tear. He started growing hair all over his body while his face contorted into that of a wolf. He had, evidently, not taken his potion. Before long, and with many growls and howls from Lupin, he was completely transformed into a werewolf by the light of the full moon.

Lupin let out an ear-splitting howl at the moon. Harry hurried over to his friends, standing close to Hermione and Lucy. Ron's face was pale with fear and the pain in his leg. Sirius transformed into a dog and jumped at Lupin. He was trying to keep him away from the students. There was many growling and yelping from the two animals as they bit and tore at each other but not really doing any harm. Lupin whipped Sirius off of his chest and grabbed him by the back with his large teeth. Sirius was flung off into the bush where he lay motionless.

"SIRIUS!" Harry cried without thinking. The werewolf's attention was turned towards them. Lucy was frozen in fear and she gripped the back of Harry's robes as tightly as she could. Tears stained her cheeks but didn't blur her vision as the werewolf made its way cautiously over. He sniffed at them, deciding whether or not they were friends or enemies.

They heard a deep growl coming from the back of his throat indicating that he had decided they were enemies. Lucy closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain of the claws and teeth.

"Stupefy!" A burst of red light hit Lupin in the back and he was knocked over. Snape was standing up, having recovered from his own stunning, and was taking careful aim at the beast. "Stupefy!" He shouted again as Lupin attempted to stand. But the spells weren't enough for the enormous wolf and still he turned to face the four students who were unable to move.

"Harry," Lucy whispered.

"It's okay, I'm here. We're fine," he reassured her but his words were empty. He feared it was the end and he would be eaten by his favourite teacher. They heard a howl coming not from the werewolf in front of them, but from off in the distance. Lupin turned his head to face the forest and bounded off in the direction of the trees. Lucy was clutching at Harry's arm in a mixture of relief and terror.

"Stay where you are, Potter." Snape had his wand pointing at Sirius's form which had begun to stir. He was bleeding from a gash in his neck and limping slightly. The dog walked towards Snape, then realized there was a wand pointed straight at him and he bolted away in the direction that Lupin had gone. Snape strode off to follow him but Hermione pointed her wand at his back and muttered 'Petrificus Totalus.' Snape froze where he was.

"Where's Pettigrew?" Ron asked, looking around. They'd been abandoned by every adult that hadn't been a murderous man only to find the one they really needed had vanished. A pile of clothes lay at the base of the Whomping Willow. "He must have transformed when we were all focusing on Professor Lupin," he commented. Lucy's heart sank and by the look of Harry's face, so had his. They weren't going to be able to avenge their parents when they didn't have the man that had done the awful deed in the first place.

Suddenly, they heard a whimpering noise coming from not too far off. It sounded like a dog and Harry suspected the worst. 'Sirius,' he murmured then took off at a run. "Stay with Ron!" He yelled at the others as he searched left and right for his godfather. He heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see Lucy with her wand raised.

"I'm helping you," she demanded and Harry didn't have the energy or time to argue. The whimpering came again and the siblings headed towards the lake. It was getting colder as they dodged trees and jumped over fallen branches. When they arrived at the lake edge, Sirius had transformed back into a human and lay quite still in the grass. Above him, hundreds of Dementors swarmed the skies. Harry pulled out his wand, the feeling of hopelessness stealing over him already. Behind him, Lucy whimpered like Sirius had.

"Think of something happy, Lucy. Do what I do, and think of something happy." He thought of Sirius and living with him, of leaving the Dursley's. "Expecto Patronum!" He shouted but nothing happened. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He thought harder of becoming a family with Sirius and Lucy. "Come on, Lucy, something happy."

"Expecto Patronum," she tried but she had the same results as her brother. Her thoughts went from him, to her parents, to knowing the truth, and even lingered on her adopted family. Meanwhile, Harry's wand was emitting silvery wisps of fog. One of the Dementors deflected away from them. Lucy felt her knees get weak and everything was cold. "Harry?" she called out but he didn't hear her. She collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face as she watched her brother try to rescue them.

All of a sudden a burst of white light erupted from the other side of the lake. She saw Harry freeze where he was, unable to conjure any more silver fog. The white light transformed into forms of animals. Lucy could just make out what looked like a stag and a dog. They ran at the Dementors and made Lucy feel safer; happier; like she was surrounded by angels. Harry fell to his knees as if he was praying.

"Look, its dad." She barely heard him say. "The stag is dad. And that dog… it's a wolfhound, like Sirius. They're saving us," And with that moment of delusional hope, Harry fell over just as Lucy became unconscious, the imprints of the Wolfhound and Stag still engraved in her eyelids.


	9. Hermione's Secret

When Lucy awoke, she was in the hospital wing. She tried to sit up but her head ached and her muscles were sore. She rolled over onto her side and saw Ron lying on a bed beside hers with his leg covered with a cast. His red hair stood out against the white pillow making his face appear even paler. She figured she looked the same. Across the room, Harry lay on his own bed, his hands resting lightly on his chest. His glasses sat on the bedside table along with a mound of chocolate. An identical mound sat on Lucy's table as well. Hermione was beside Harry and she was awake. She was sitting up, staring at her hands.

"Hermione?" Lucy called out, not wishing to wake up the two boys or draw attention from Madame Pomfrey. Hermione looked up, startled.

"Lucy, are you okay?" she asked softly. Lucy shrugged. She couldn't remember how she had gotten there or how long it had been since she saw those Patronuses. But she could remember Sirius and Lupin telling her and Harry the story of their parents. She remembered Peter Pettigrew and how he escaped.

"Sirius… what happened to him?" She asked, fear rising in her chest. It was Hermione's turn to shrug.

"Madame Pomfrey doesn't know anything and I doubt she'd tell us even if we did ask. You should probably eat some of that chocolate. What happened to you anyway?" Hermione asked. Lucy took a bite of the chocolate before answering. She felt better already.

"Harry and I followed Sirius down to the lake. We were surrounded by Dementors and Harry was trying to do that Patronus thing. I was trying too, but he was much better." Lucy paused to recollect her thoughts. "There were about 100 Dementors and I collapsed, so did Harry eventually. But before we went completely out of it, something weird happened…" Lucy took another chunk of chocolate, unsure of how to tell Hermione about the Stag and the Wolfhound.

"Relax, Luce, get some more rest. We've got plenty of time later when both you and Harry are awake and feeling 100%." Hermione stopped her thought process. Lucy complied and snuggled back under the blankets, a warm feeling spreading through her.

When Lucy awoke next, Dumbledore was standing in the room and the other three were awake. Harry and Hermione were standing in front of Dumbledore arguing. Ron lay in bed, listening intently and nodding vigorously when needed.

"Lucy! You're not going to believe this! They're going to give Sirius the Dementor's kiss!" Harry hurried over to Lucy's bedside. She sat up quickly and jumped out of bed.

"Why? He's innocent, we have proof. Or we did, until he escaped." Her face fell. "Sir, you've got to believe whatever Harry and Hermione have told you. He didn't kill our parents." She said, her voice getting louder as she spoke. Dumbledore put a hand up to silence her.

"I am fully aware of what you four have been through tonight but there is nothing I can do. You don't have remaining proof and no one is going to believe four teenagers." He explained. Lucy felt defeated. "There is something you can do to help, though." He added. Harry and Lucy exchanged confused looks. Hermione, however, squeaked nervously.

"You don't mean, Professor…?" her face went paler than Lucy's was. Dumbledore nodded. "But that's extremely risky! You know about the consequences, this isn't just for class anymore." She continued.

"Three turns should do, I'll lock you in here so be back on time. Because I know you know the consequences as well Miss Granger." Dumbledore left the room. Harry strode over to Hermione and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What is he talking about Hermione? What 'consequences?'" He asked, shaking her slightly with his grip. Hermione shook him off and reached down the front of her robes to grab a necklace that was hanging from her neck. It was a gold chain with a matching gold hourglass instead of a pendant. She held it in front of her.

"It's a…"

"Time-Turner," Lucy finished for her, staring at the necklace in awe. Harry's face twisted into even more confusion and a bit of exclusion. "Bob deals with the distribution of those at the Ministry. You know, my adoptive dad." She explained.

"It's how I've been getting to all my classes. I just turn the time back by turning the hourglass. Professor McGonagall gave it to me at the start of the year. That's why I missed the start of the feast." Hermione gestured for Harry and Lucy to come closer. She wrapped the chain around all of them. It was a tight fight, but Lucy clutched tightly to the others robes.

"Sorry, Ron, but you're going to have to stay here. See you in a second," Hermione turned the hourglass three times around. The walls and people blurred past them as time went backwards. When it stopped, Ron was not in his hospital bed, Madam Pomfrey was in her office, and Dumbledore was nowhere to be found.

"That was weird –" Harry said but was interrupted by Hermione's less-than-careful recollection of the Time-turner. "What time is it now then?" he asked. Hermione glanced down at her watch.

"It's around 7, weren't we at Hagrid's at 7?" she wondered, stowing the hourglass and chain beneath her robes again. Harry nodded. She led the way out of the hospital wing and down towards the Grounds. When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, Hermione motioned for them to join her behind the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Inside the hut, Ron, Hermione, Lucy, Harry, and Hagrid were having an animated discussion. "You can't talk to any of us or anybody else. It's dangerous and you could end up destroyed. Time is a difficult thing to work with. You can't alter what's already happened." Hermione warned. Lucy felt her face grow paler than it already was.

"I hate seeing Buckbeak there," Lucy noted. "Why can't we let him loose? We should save him as well," Before Hermione could protest, Harry had ducked out from behind his tree and bounded over to where Buckbeak was tethered.

"Harry! What did I just finish explaining! Buckbeak was there when we left! Don't do anything to him!" Hermione tried not to speak too loudly but it was hard to get her point across in quiet whispers. The voices from the house became louder and Harry turned back towards the Forest. His moment of chivalry had passed momentarily. He waited for the other group to head back to the castle and the Minister of Magic, the executioner and Dumbledore to enter the house. Now was his chance. He bowed deeply to Buckbeak who took no time in bowing back. Hermione came to his side and bribed him with food to keep him moving towards the vast expanse of trees.

"We'll go deeper into the forest," Harry suggested, not turning around to see what the executioner would do without a Hippogriff to slay. Lucy held back tree branches and stroked Buckbeak's beak while they marched on. Finally, Harry settled them down close to the Whomping willow. Hermione paced back and forth, pondering how they were going to help Sirius, while Harry sat down beside his younger sister.

"I'm sorry," he said. She looked at him, confusion etched in her face.

"For what?"

"I didn't want to kill Pettigrew when you did and now look where we are; he's still on the loose and Sirius is going to get kissed by Dementors." Harry replied. "I should have listened to you." He added. Lucy shook her head.

"No, you shouldn't have. You were right about mom and dad not wanting any of their friends to become murderers, even though Pettigrew did. You understand them better, Harry, maybe because you've known about them for longer. You've had more people tell you stories about them than I have. Bob and Carole never met mom and dad. Lupin was the first one to tell me how much I looked like mom." She leant her head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm still sorry for this year. It's not what you expected, was it? I know you wanted me to be the brother you never had and I know I never really stepped up to the plate." Harry apologized again.

"I didn't know what to expect, and after tonight… or yesterday night… or whatever, you've been the best brother that I've ever had." She smiled at her joke and Harry chuckled. He looked down at her. Her smile gave him somewhat of a renewed hope. It was like the Stag and the Wolfhound; made him feel safe. Suddenly, the three of them heard voices coming from the base of the Whomping Willow. Lucy saw the group appear one-by-one and settle into the positions she remembered.

"See Sirius and me talking?" Harry asked her. She nodded in silence, feeling that speaking would break this strange moment. "He's offering to buy a house and let us live there with him. You can come too if you want. I know I do." He explained as the other Harry and Sirius stood hypnotized by the grand castle and the thought of happiness.

"I will, but let's concentrate on saving Sirius first," she craned her neck to get a better view of Lupin who was going to turn into an angry werewolf any second. And he did, just like before. And like it had before, Lucy's chest clenched up in fear and she felt her heart beating hard against her chest. Harry's fist closed tightly around his wand instinctively and he moved a fraction of an inch closer to the scene.

"We have to do something," Hermione appeared beside Lucy without making a sound on the dry forest floor. "He's killing Sirius and we can't save him if he's already dead." Her voice was barely audible but Lucy could hear the worry and terror in it. "What are we supposed to do?" she muttered, practically shaking. They still had a moment as Snape awoke and began terrorizing the animal. "That's it!" Hermione did a little jump of excitement.

"What? What do we do?" Harry asked impatiently as time was running out.

"AH-OOOOOOOO!" Hermione howled, doing an impressionable imitation of a wolf. "AH-OOOOOO!" She called again. It worked, werewolf Lupin scurried off towards them with a long, loping gait.

"Here he comes," Lucy held her wand tightly, her knuckles turning white, even though she didn't know any spells that could save them. Lupin dodged a few trees and was suddenly mere feet from them. Lucy felt her feet go numb and she couldn't move. Out of nowhere, a flurry of white feathers and hooves came hurtling towards Lupin. Buckbeak reared and came crashing down, catching Lupin's chest as he landed heavily.

Frightened and hurt, the teacher tore off towards the center of the forest. Lucy had barely gotten her legs to stop shaking like jelly, when Harry took off in the opposite direction that Lupin had gone. Hermione and Lucy had no choice but to follow him. When the trees thinned out, Lucy saw that they were on the other side of the lake than they had been earlier. Yes, she could see Sirius, Harry, and herself turning white under the despair of the Dementors.

"Just wait, dad's stag will come, and a dog - a big dog like Sirius. Did you see them before, Luce?" He asked, excitement burning through him like fire. Lucy nodded but she had a bad feeling.

"How could that have been dad?" She asked. Harry didn't turn to face her when he replied.

"Lupin told me his Patronus was a stag. It could have been his ghost," but even as he said it, he knew that it was wrong. His dad wasn't a ghost, and besides, that didn't explain the second Patronus. "Just wait; someone will come to save us. We'll see them," Precious seconds passed and still there was no sign of anyone but the three time-travellers and the three victims.

"No one's coming, Harry," Hermione said, and suddenly, it came to Harry.

"Think of something happy Lucy, think of the happiest thing you can. Like knowing you can do this, because you already have." With no further explanation, he stepped forward, the Dementor's gloom not affecting him as he shouted. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A burst of light like lightning shot out of his wand and an animal cantered forward. It was a Stag; his father's stag. "C'mon Lucy, you can do it." But Lucy was already trying.

"Expecto Patronum!" she cried feebly, still unconfident that this was going to work. She looked at Harry in disbelief and was returned with a face that knew things would turn out okay, that was happy and safe, the face that was her brother's. He was her family and so was Sirius. So she tried again.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Thoughts of her mom and dad, of Harry, of Ron and Hermione, swirled through her head as a second shower of silver erupted into the dark sky. Side by side, the Wolfhound and Stag made their way across the lake. Lucy saw her other self pass out and the Dementor's were driven away in torrents. When it was all over, she felt a wonderful sense of euphoria seeping through her skin and into her heart. "It was us," she muttered, a smile spreading across her face.

"Don't stop smiling, Lucy, because we're about to save Sirius." Harry started hurrying around the lake when Hermione called him back in a whisper.

"Look!" She pointed across the lake to where Snape had found the unconscious victims and was now conjuring stretchers for them all. He was going to take Harry and Lucy up to the Hospital Wing and Sirius was headed straight for the West Tower. Hermione glanced down at her watch.

"We have forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks us out." And with that thought, Lucy's smile vanished.

**A/N Note of clarification: I didn't know "Hermione's Secret" was the name of the chapter in the book when I wrote this and thought of a title. Happy coincidence that my mind thought that same as J.K. Rowling's for a split-second! Review please **


	10. A Real Family

Lucy waited impatiently for the right time to fly up to the West Tower and save Sirius. She could tell that Harry was losing his nerve and Hermione was developing a nervous tick of tucking her hair behind her ears. It bothered Lucy but she knew she was picking grass out of the ground around her and so she let it go.

"Half an hour, we're running out of time," Hermione glanced at her watch. Harry groaned in frustration. They needed to wait for the coast to be clear but what if it would be too late?

"Look! Hermione, its Macnair, the executioner!" Harry pointed excitedly to the castle doors where a man was running down towards the outskirts of the grounds. "He's going to get the Dementors. It's now or never, let's go," He stood up and held onto Buckbeak as Hermione and Lucy climbed on to his back. Harry hoisted himself up in the front. "Hold on tight," he kicked Buckbeak's sides and the Hippogriff took off. Lucy clung as tightly as she could to Hermione as Harry steered Buckbeak towards the third window from the left of the highest tower.

Harry positioned Buckbeak so that he could slip off his back and land on the small terrace outside of Sirius' make-shift prison cell. He rapped on the window and Sirius came running to unlatch it.

"Harry," Sirius climbed nimbly out the window and grasped his godson tightly. "I knew you would come," he looked uncertainly at the hovering Buckbeak. "Should I get on first?" He asked. Harry stood back to let Sirius clamber up onto Buckbeak's back then Sirius gave Harry a hand up.

Sirius wasn't bad at manoeuvring the large animal but it took time to get him to land in the courtyard. He led Buckbeak down into an alcove of the building. There, he helped the girls and Harry down.

"Thank you all so much, I don't know how I could ever repay you." He said, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder and the other hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It was all Hermione, really. She took us back and figured out how to get you out of here." Harry explained. Sirius smiled at Hermione, his waxy skin stretching over his face in an unnatural way. He looked like he hadn't smiled in years and the muscles were sore.

"You are very smart, Hermione. Thank you very much for this. You've done magnificently tonight." He gave Hermione a tiny hug and she blushed. "Do you mind giving us a minute?" He asked her. She nodded and took Buckbeak with her to fix his ruffled feathers. Sirius sat down on the ground, leaning against the stone wall. He exhaled deeply.

"It is unfair that you two didn't get to know your parents. They were both wonderful people and I know they loved you both. Harry, you look so much like James and you act like him too. You are just as much a trouble-maker as him. And Lucy, you are the spitting image of Lily." He said. She smiled at him. "Never stop smiling; it's like a light at the end of the tunnel. It's beautiful – you're beautiful!" He stood up and gave them a gripping hug. He was strong for such a frail man.

"Now, I'm sorry to revoke the invitation to come live with me. I'll be in hiding until this all blows over but you can come stay with me afterwards." He walked over to where Hermione and Buckbeak were, took the reins from Hermione and swung himself on. "We'll be a real family after this. Like the family you never got,"

"Do you promise?" Lucy asked sceptically. Sirius chuckled and Harry put an arm around her.

"I promise Lucy," With those final words, Buckbeak took off and they watched man and animal disappear into the sky. Hermione glanced down at her watch.

"We have five minutes to get up to the Hospital Wing!" She shrieked. They ran as fast as they could down corridors and whipped around corners. When they arrived at the Wing, Dumbledore was just leaving. He wasn't surprised to see them.

"We did it sir! He's free!" Harry said excitedly. Dumbledore smiled at them.

"I knew you could. I'm sure they'll both be safe for now. Cornelius will not be happy with this but he shouldn't have ignored the signs. Good job to each of you." Still out of breath, Harry gave the Headmaster a look of confusion.

"How did you know we rescued Buckbeak?" He asked. Dumbledore laughed softly, his blue eyes twinkling.

"I was there with the Minister and the executioner. When we went out to behead Buckbeak, he was missing. However, I caught a glimpse of you three and him walking through the forest. Next time, be a bit more careful," he didn't say it like a reprimand but some advice from a loving grandparent.

"There won't be a next time." Hermione admitted. "I'm giving this back; it was too much to handle for me. I think I'll drop a few classes next year," She handed Dumbledore the Time-Turner. He wrapped his long, bony fingers around it.

"You did very well Miss Granger, but this is a very wise choice. You will accomplish much more in the future I am sure. Now, you'd better get back in before Madam Pomfrey as a stroke. And fill Mr. Weasley in on what happened. I'm sure he's very anxious to know what has happened to you three." Dumbledore walked down the corridor and around the corner, the Time-Turner swinging in his hand.

They walked into the Hospital Wing to find Ron staring at the spot they had vanished from with a look of fear on his face. When he heard the door open, he let out a cry.

"Sh! Madam Pomfrey will hear you!" Hermione reprimanded. Ron relaxed against his pillow. "You'll be happy to know that we saved Sirius and Buckbeak." She said, barely able to conceal her smile. Ron beamed.

"That's excellent! Now, if you wouldn't mind, tell me how." He got cosy under his covers to listen. Lucy sat down on the edge of his bed while Harry and Hermione stood up to dramatically relive the events.

XXX

The next week was full of final exams and relaxing when they were over. On Saturday, Harry came down to lunch slightly white-faced and upset.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked. Harry took a deep breath before replying

"It's Lupin… he's quitting his job here. He says that parents won't want a werewolf to teach them." He poked at the food in front of him. Lucy put a hand on his arm in comfort.

"It makes sense, I guess, but it's still sad," Hermione agreed. "Did he say what he would do next?" She asked. Harry shrugged.

"Go home, I expect. He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had. And he knew my parents… I mean our parents." There was a melancholy silence. "He said he would write on occasion."

"Well, that's good." Hermione said cheerfully but the weekend mood was ruined. Lupin was gone by dinner.

Many theories were formulated about how Sirius Black had been caught and then escaped. Malfoy was sullen at the end of term feast now that Buckbeak had lived. Seamus and Dean started making bets about what kind of teacher they would have next year for their Defense Against the Dark Arts. They decided a vampire was the most likely choice. It seemed like every loose thread was tied up, until breakfast on the last day when Lucy sat down beside Harry and nervously starting nibbling a bit of egg.

"What's up Lucy?" He asked her. She shrugged. There was an awkward silence as Ron and Hermione continued to eat. Harry nudged her softly. "C'mon, I know when you're upset, you are my sister after all." He grinned.

"Can I come live with you?" She blurted out. Harry was taken aback.

"I would love to say yes but there are a few things in our way. One, my aunt and uncle would not allow it. They hate me enough as it is. And second, you've got a family to go to anyway." He explained. Lucy sighed.

"I know, I know, but I thought that we could be our own family, like Sirius said. I guess I'll just have to wait some more," she stared dejectedly at her breakfast.

"We are a family, Luce, whether we live together or not. I'm still you're brother and you're still my sister. We're a real family, that's a promise I can't break." Lucy stood up and hugged him with all her might. That was all she'd wanted out of that year: to have a real family even if it was just her and Harry.

**A/N So that's the end of my first fanfic ever! Be harsh! I want feedback! Goblet of Fire Rewrite will be up hopefully before summer… hopefully before June. So review, favourite, subscribe, whatever you do on this site. Thanks so much for reading! P.S. review **


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